Ave Maria
by Shadowweavers
Summary: Introspectory one-shot, set at some unidentified point in the future. Yue reflects on the lives of those he once knew. Angsty-ness and stuff 100 percent fudged abounds. Our first collaborative effort. Please R&R.


_Ave Maria  
A Card Captor Sakura Fanfiction  
© January 2005, Shadowweaver Productions  
(Lynne Deater, Hikari Yamamoto, Selena Morales, Jo-ann Devrou)_

_This work is non-profit and written solely for the enjoyment of others. We do not in any way, shape, or form, own or claim to own Card Captor Sakura, or any part of the original plot, storyline, and characters thereof. We are in fact, infringing on nearly every copyright law that we currently know to exist and probably many others that we've yet to come across by writing this, but really, we don't care._

_If you intend to sue, we're leaving you with this little disclaimer. Corroboratively, we have fifteen dollars and thirty seven cents, some pocket lint, a broken ink pen, and Lynne's driver's license, which features a rather lovely photographic rendition of her as a recently escaped maximum security prison convict, to our names. We own nothing and if you're curious, we're still in high school. Meaning that we're even more financially destitute than normal._

_In short; If you chose to sue us... you'll get nothing. In fact... you'll have less money than you had when you started._

_Warning: Angsty... dark themed, and not all that fun. In fact... we'll be surprised if this gets any reviews. This could easily be considered an Alternate Universe fic, and if you wish, feel free to consider it as such._

_Rating: PG (It's safe for the kiddies)_

_Type: Introspectory One-Shot_

_Ave Maria, gratia plena _

_Dominus tecum, benedicta tu_

_In mulieribus et benedictus_

_Fructus ventris tui Jesus._

_Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria,_

_Maria ora pro nobis,_

_Nobis pecatoribus,_

_Nunc et in ora,_

_In ora mortis nostrae._

_Amen_

* * *

The cathedral was a massively splendid web of gothic stone filigree, and as the sun moved across the sky, its rays cast multi-colored shadows across the stone floors and onto statues of once-great kings, all of which were long dead, creating an almost peaceful atmosphere that was held in check by the almost constant presence of tourists and regular attendants. But in one chapel, different lights cast their flickering, limited countenance upon the single tenant, whose head was bowed in remembrance. 

The man was foreign, but not in a way that was overly obvious, or too subtle to notice. His long white hair, which was bound in a long plait down his back, trailed to the back of his knees, and he was dressed in a simple white Yukata. His features were exotic and effeminate, while still being masculine enough to identify him as male at first glance. A slim hand held a box of matches, and he stood in front of a row of unlit candles.

His fingers were sure and steady as he struck the first match and lit the first candle of the row.

The first candle was for the girl who had never been allowed the chance to become a woman. They had talked, although the sessions had been brief, and he had been too caught up in his own grief to take notice of the fact that she had been losing her fragile grip on life. By the time he had noticed, it had been too late. He remembered her for her smile, the dazzling, innocent smile of a naive child that did not know, nor would ever have the chance to endure the hardships that came with life, and also, her ever present mantra which had incidentally been her final words.

_Zettai daijobu dai yo._

He took and lit a second in remembrance of the young man forever denied life with the girl he had fallen in love with. Bereft in his grief, he had returned to his homeland and his family, to forget what little time they had gotten together before she had been plucked away by the cruel bitch Fate. He had died, old, senile, and alone, still grieving for the girl who dominated his memories.

The third, was in remembrance of the priestess— the woman who had signed and sealed his own fate. He remembered clearly the night that the conditions of his judgment had been broken, and the fact that she had been the one to interfere. He shuddered in remembrance of the night that she had been found in a pool of her own blood on the Tsukimine shrine steps, murdered and left for all the world to see. He forced his hands to steady themselves before lighting the next match.

The fourth was for a girl that he had never really gotten to know, but could have become friends with, if it had not been for Fate and Destiny, and their cruel games.

Yue closed his eyes as he prepared to light the next set of candles, his breath catching in his throat.

The next was for the man that had given up a part of himself in return for a promise he still upheld, even though the conditions had long since been negated, and the purpose for it's creation long forgotten by anyone.

With the next two candles, Yue recalled the mother and daughter— the work obsessed woman, and her tiny, camera-obsessed daughter. How the pair had made him laugh, the girl having dressed his mistress and others in her fashionably ridiculous costumes, and the mother, so competitive and un-relenting in everything she did. The memories of those two made him smile, and for that reason, he lit the candles together, with one match.

He was finally down to those he hadn't known very well... or hadn't known at all.

The next candle was for someone he had never gotten the chance to meet... and who he had only glimpsed through the moments captured by the camera, forever frozen in time. She too had been subject to ridicule and was ultimately shunned for her choice of a lover... but she had been happy all the same. Despite her hardships, she had always smiled.

There were only three candles left, and Yue sighed, seeing a familiar, long fingered and well manicured hand in his peripheral vision.

"Akizuki-san." He greeted her without frivolity... the two were far beyond needing social niceties at this point.

"Yue... I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't think you practiced any religion." She said, producing a cigarette lighter. He shook his head, "I don't."

She nodded, "I didn't expect to find you here... are you a tourist, or—?" The question was left in the air. Silence filled the air for several moments before he responded with a weak smile, "No... I am not a tourist."

That answer was all that was needed to satisfy the other guardian's request.

"Why the candles then?"

"It's a custom here... for their souls. Each flame is a prayer." She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Sakura... Syaoran... Kaho... Meiling... Touya... Sonomi... Tomoyo... Nadeshiko-san..." he pointed to each candle in turn.

"There are three left." She said, opening the lid on her lacquered cigarette lighter. He stared at the flame for a moment, before turning to the row of candles again.

He picked up two of the candles, staring at them momentarily. "These are for Eriol... and Fujitaka." She brought the lighter to the wicks of the two candles, and watched the flames merge and dance together momentarily, before Yue pulled them apart. They were for the two who were part of the whole.

There was one remaining candle on the rack, and it was the candle of which Yue was most reluctant to retrieve. He reached for it... watching the dance of the flames of the candles he had lit, and the flames of the thousands previously lit that filled the room with their ambient, soft light.

"This is for Clow." He brought the candle to the flames of Eriol and Fujitaka's candles, before pulling it away, and placing it on the rack.

The two of them stood, staring, at the candles Yue had lit, remembering faces and voices long gone. Nakuru whispered a prayer next to him, and he waited until after her retreating footsteps disappeared from earshot, still staring at the flames.

He closed his eyes and with the first sounds of the Christmas mass... walked from the room, the echoes of distant memories left behind playing their tune as he retreated, waving a hand over his shoulder momentarily as he walked.

The candles of which he had lit burned brighter than the rest.

—fin—

* * *

_Hail Mary, full of grace_

_The Lord is with you, blessed are you_

_Among women and blessed_

_The fruit of your womb, Jesus_

_Holy Mary, Holy Mary_

_Mary pray for us,_

_For us sinners,_

_Now and in the hour,_

_In the hour of our death._

_Amen.

* * *

_

This was written in honor of the new year... and because we were bored on New Year's Day, and had nothing better to do. R&R... even if you think it sucks.


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